Distributed computing describes an architecture in which applications may be executed on multiple computers. Distributed computing systems may provide relatively efficient use of computing resources by distributing processing load of multiple users. A computing grid is a particular type of distributed computing system that uses a number of computers coupled together through a network, such as the Internet. Computing grids often use low-cost, scalable hardware components that operate together in a synergistic fashion to provide computational power similar to other more expensive computing systems.